THE CONSTANTINES

Capturing the full-throttle live mayhem that has made the Constantines the go-to punk-pop band of the moment would be tough without turning the studio into rubble, but the Guelph quartet have given it a good shot. The clean sound of their 13-track, self-titled debut strips the Cons' intense, Fugazi-derived power punk to its bare essentials, with hand-claps and the occasional acoustic guitar the only indulgences. The intensity is immediate, even if the performance is a tad underwhelming at times, and combined with the surprisingly delicate songs here, it's a wonder that the solitary match threaded into the album's packaging doesn't light itself. The Constantines play the Rivoli Friday (June 8) at 1 am.